Structural evolution of the Bayanhongor region, west-central Mongolia

Most of previous models suggest that the Central Asia Orogenic Belt grew southward in the Phanerozoic. However, in the Bayanhongor region in west-central Mongolia, volcanic arc, accretionary prism, ophiolite, and passive margin complexes accreted northeastward away from the Baydrag micro-continent, and hence the region constitutes the southwestern part of a crustal-scale syntaxis close to the west. The syntaxis should be original, because presumably reorientation due to strike-slip faulting can be ignored. It is reconfirmed that the Baydrag eventually collided with another micro-continent (the Hangai) to the northeast. A thick sedimentary basin developed along the southern passive margin of the Hangai micro-continent. This region is also characterized by an exhumed metamorphosed accretionary complex and a passive margin complex, which are both bounded by detachment faults as well as basal reverse faults which formed simultaneously as extrusion wedges. This part of the Central Asia Orogenic Belt lacks exhumed crystalline rocks as observed in the Himalayas and other major collisional orogenic belts. In addition, we identified two phases of deformation, which occurred at each phase of zonal accretion as D1 through Cambrian and Devonian, and a synchronous phase of final micro-continental collision of Devonian as D2. The pre-collisional ocean was wide enough to be characterized by a mid-ocean ridge and ocean islands. Two different structural trends of D1 and D2 are observed in accretionary complexes formed to the southwest of the late Cambrian mid-ocean ridge. That is, the relative plate motions on both sides of the mid-ocean ridge were different. Accretionary complexes and passive margin sediments to the northeast of the mid-ocean ridge also experienced two periods of deformation but show the same structural trend. Unmetamorphosed cover sediments on the accretionary prism and on the Hangai micro-continent experienced only the D2 event due to micro-continental collision. These unmetamorphosed sediments form the hanging walls of the detachment faults. Moreover, they were at least partly derived from an active volcanic arc formed at the margin of the Baydrag micro-continent.     

New analytical and numerical approaches for geopotential modeling

 The standard analytical approach which is applied for constructing geopotential models OSU86 and earlier ones, is based on reducing the boundary value equation to a sphere enveloping the Earth and then solving it directly with respect to the potential coefficients _n,m . In an alternative procedure, developed by Jekeli and used for constructing the models OSU91 and EGM96, at first an ellipsoidal harmonic series is developed for the geopotential and then its coefficients _n,m ^e are transformed to the unknown _n,m . The second solution is more exact, but much more complicated. The standard procedure is modified and a new simple integral formula is derived for evaluating the potential coefficients. The efficiency of the standard and new procedures is studied numerically. In these solutions the same input data are used as for constructing high-degree parts of the EGM96 models. From two sets of _n,m (n≤360,|m|≤n), derived by the standard and new approaches, different spectral characteristics of the gravity anomaly and the geoid undulation are estimated and then compared with similar characteristics evaluated by Jekeli's approach (`etalon' solution). The new solution appears to be very close to Jekeli's, as opposed to the standard solution. The discrepancies between all the characteristics of the new and `etalon' solutions are smaller than the corresponding discrepancies between two versions of the final geopotential model EGM96, one of them (HDM190) constructed by the block-diagonal least squares (LS) adjustment and the other one (V068) by using Jekeli's approach. On the basis of the derived analytical solution a new simple mathematical model is developed to apply the LS technique for evaluating geopotential coefficients. Received: 12 December 2000 / Accepted: 21 June 2001     

The effect of earth orientation errors in baseline determination

The determination of baseline lengths from certain space techniques is based on the derived coordinates of the terminal stations. As such, the estimated baselines are susceptible to systematic errors that affect the relative coordinates. One source of error is in the set of parameters which describes the continuously changing relative orientation of the Conventional Terrestrial (CTS) and Inertial (CIS) Reference frames. Due to these errors, the coordinates of each terminal station may in fact refer to a slightly different coordinate svstem, and, therefore, when used for computing the length between the stations, errors will result. The expected magnitudes of such errors and their possible presence in current solutions are investigated. In conclusion, we find that the present level of accuracy and stability of the available parameters connecting the CTS and CIS (e.g., the ERP series) is unsatisfactory for centimeter level baseline length determinations. The available options are either the use of strictly simultaneous SLR data sets (similar to the VLBI data sets) or the improvement of the parameters connecting the CTS and the CIS. The first long-range step in the latter direction is the support of the IAG/IAU Joint Working Group COTES proposal [CSTG Bulletin, 1982], endorsed by both the IAG and IAU in various resolutions [IAU, 1983; IAG, 1982]. Presented at the Annual Fall Meeting of the American Geophysical Union, San Francisco, December 7–15, 1982, and at the Fifth Annual NASA Geodynamics Program Conference and Crustal Dynamics Project Review, Washington, D.C., January 24–28, 1983.     

On traces of a strong earthquake in walls of the Sary-Bulun medieval sites along the great silk route (western Issyk-Kul Lake region,Northern Tien Shan)

The Sary-Bulun archeological sites located along the Great Silk Route of medieval times are studied. The study revealed a number of the deformations of seismogenic origin: tilts, shifts, and collapse and lateral bends of walls as well as long fissures in corner parts of the rooms. Judging by archeological artifacts, the seismic event occurred at the end of the 12th–beginning of the 13th century AD. Judging by degree of damage, the intensity of this ancient earthquake was I ≥ VIII on the MSK-64. The source of the seismic oscillations was apparently located in the faults cutting the active Boz-Barmak anticline. The studied archeological sites are located on the western limb of this anticline structure. In the medieval period, the Sary-Bulun settlements were the largest metallurgic centers of the Issyk-Kul depression and, thus, they are of a great significance for studying industrial processes of that time.     

Determination of frame-dragging using Earth gravity models from CHAMP and GRACE

Using the new generation Earth’s gravity field models EIGEN-2S, GGM01S and EIGEN-GRACE02S generated by the space missions CHAMP and GRACE, we have obtained an accurate measurement of the Lense–Thirring effect with the LAGEOS and LAGEOS II satellites analyzing about 10 years of data with the EIGEN-2S and GGM01S models and about 11 years of data with EIGEN-GRACE02S. This new analysis is in agreement with our previous measurements of the Lense–Thirring effect using the LAGEOS satellites and obtained with the JGM-3 and EGM96 Earth’s models. However, the new determinations are more accurate and, especially, more robust than our previous measurements. In the present analysis we are only using the nodal rates of the two satellites, making no use of the perigee rate, as in our previous analyses. The perigee is affected by a number of non-gravitational perturbations difficult to be modelled and whose impact in the total error budget is not easy to assess. Using the EIGEN-2S model, we obtain a total error budget between 18% and 36% of the Lense–Thirring effect due to all the error sources. Specifically, by using EIGEN-2S, we obtain: μ = 0.85, with a total error between ±0.18 and ±0.36, with GGM01S we get μ = 1.06 with a total error between ±0.19 and ±0.24 and with EIGEN-GRACE02S we obtain μ = 0.99, with a total error between ±0.05 and ±0.1, i.e., between 5% and 10% of the general relativistic predicted value of the Lense–Thirring effect. In addition to the analyses using EIGEN-2S, GGM01S and EIGEN-GRACE02S without the use of the perigee, we have also performed an analysis using the older model EGM96 with our previous method of combining the nodes of the LAGEOS satellites with the perigee of LAGEOS II. However, this analysis was performed over a period of about 10 years, i.e. about 2.5 times longer than any our previous analysis. The result using EGM96 over this longer period of observation agrees with our previous results over much shorter periods and with the EIGEN-2S, GGM01S and EIGEN-GRACE02S measurements of μ. In addition to the accurate determination of frame-dragging and in agreement with our previous analyses of the orbits of the LAGEOS satellites, we have observed, since 1998, an anomalous change in the Earth quadrupole coefficient, J₂ which agrees with recent findings of other authors. This anomalous variation of J₂ is accurately observed both on the node of LAGEOS and LAGEOS II and it is independent of the model used, i.e., it is observed by using the model EGM96 or by using EIGEN-2S, GGM01S or EIGEN-GRACE02S. However, this anomalous variation of the Earth quadrupole coefficient does not affect at all our determination of the Lense–Thirring effect thanks to the total elimination of the J₂-induced errors with our especially devised estimation technique.     

Using total organic carbon for the assessment of groundwater vulnerability in karst regions at regional scales

Groundwater vulnerability is the likelihood of contaminants reaching the groundwater system after introduction at some location above the aquifer. The objective of this work was to investigate the relationship between total organic carbon concentration in groundwater and the intrinsic vulnerability of groundwater in karst areas at the regional scale. For this purpose hydrochemical data from 17 springs draining a Dinantian pure bedded Limestone rock unit were analysed to investigate their relationship with known parameters of groundwater vulnerability (e.g. degree of karstification, type of recharge). Statistical methods that could be useful to investigate such relationships are suggested. Principal components analysis showed the potential to visualise the relationships among hydrochemical data based on estimates of the median value. Multiple correspondence analysis was applied to visualise the relationship between total organic carbon and potential sources of organic carbon on the surface, a novel approach which has not been used in similar studies. Moreover, multiple regression analysis was used to determine the significance of these relationships. The results showed that, taking into consideration differences in background concentration, total organic carbon was significantly related to groundwater vulnerability.